SPILL FEATURE: IT’S A GOOD LIFE IF YOU DON’T WEAKEN – A CONVERSATION WITH THEATRE PRODUCER MICHAEL RUBINOFF

IT’S A GOOD LIFE IF YOU DON’T WEAKEN

A CONVERSATION WITH THEATRE PRODUCER MICHAEL RUBINOFF

Michael Rubinoff has worn many different hats in the past. He began his professional career as a lawyer, but musical theatre was in his blood. He is best known for being the originating producer of Come From Away, which achieved international success. His most recent musical is It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken. It is a musical about Waleed, an exiled journalist who arrives in Canada and falls for Kate, the owner of a local music store. The music in this play is all songs originally written and performed by The Tragically Hip. And, he has had full cooperation from the band to produce this original and unique musical.

The musical is based on a book by Ahmed Moneka and Jesse LaVercombe and is directed by Mary Francis Moore and had its premiere in Hamilton last year. This year, as part of the year-long celebration of the musical history of Kingston and The Tragically Hip, the musical is opening in Kingston on October 22, 2026. It will be running until November 8 at The Kingston Grand Theatre. After that, Rubinoff has great hopes for the play.

Given the production is set to open very soon, he is a very busy man with limited time. Still, he graciously took time to speak with me, via Zoom, about It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken.

“I wanted to take the music of The Tragically Hip to turn it into a musical. So, I pitched it to the band’s manager and then the band. We are hoping to bring the show into Toronto. The entire reason this exists is because I am a huge fan. It was the soundtrack of my 20s and 30s and beyond. I saw them in concert several times over the years, so many special moments in my life”

The show debuted in Hamilton and was extremely well received.

“We did Hamilton in the spring, and it was an incredible run. It was so gratifying to see Hip fans fully embrace it, and theatre fans, who may have not been big fans of The Hip, but came out of the theatre downloading the music and buying the merch. They are Canada’s band and as a theatre producer, it was the Holy Grail of trying to use incredible poetry and music in a way that could tell a theatrical story that people could come together and enjoy it in person.”

The play’s title lends itself to the story that the play is telling. It is not a biography about the band, but rather a story of a newcomer to Canada.

PRODUCER MICHAEL RUBINOFF

“I think when I was trying to find a way to tell this story, we knew it was not going to be about the band. Other mediums have done it really well. There is no actor on earth that could inhabit Gord Downie. He was a singular, generational talent. It was always my interest in trying to find an original story that the music could emotionally support. As I started to dive into research and think about the story I wanted to tell, friends of mine would say things to me like, ‘when my father immigrated from Iran, he listened to The Tragically Hip.’ One of the ways to learn about Canada was through music. That got me thinking that if I had one shot to tell a story, I wanted it to be about a new Canadian finding their way and building a new life in this country. And I could not think of a better soundtrack than The Tragically Hip.

And Rubinoff’s experience with musicals and Canadian stories has helped him in terms of telling this unique story.

As a producer, I mostly champion Canadian stories. I believe in the power of what our artists have to say, and being north of the dominant English culture in the world, I think we look at the world differently and observe culture differently. And we tell stories differently. Look at all of our songwriters, writers, actors, musicians, playwrights. I think there is something in that they go out and tell the story. Being the originating producer and having the idea to tell the story of what happened in Gander during 911 in Come From Away, I have seen how people have embraced these stories.”

Given that this is the 10th anniversary of the last Tragically Hip concert, which took place in Kingston, seeing the play in that city will certainly be a very bittersweet experience for all concerned.

“What’s really special about this is that it is an Immigrant story and it starts in Baghdad, but we quickly move on to Kingston. We are excited to share this in Kingston, not only because it is the hometown of The Tragically Hip, but in honouring the hometown, we set the story in Kingston. It will be a special way for the story to unfold, and you walk out the doors of the theatre and some of the places the story takes place are right there.”

“The band has been really very positive about the music and allowing us to explore creatively. They have trusted that I am a fan first, and that the music is sacred, I really do. So, we wanted to make sure that every single moment felt connected and honest. Rob Baker came to see the show in Hamilton, and it was very moving watching him watch the show. He has said publicly that he cried and it really moved him and it got him. For the Hip fans we got the songs that everyone knows and a couple of deep cuts and that excited Rob. “As I Wind Down The Pines” kind of shocked him, because it is a song I don’t think they ever performed in concert.”

“I want the audience to be engaged, and then I want the story to be compelling. I want you to feel something. I am an optimist; I believe musical theatre can change the world for the better. I am not naive, I know there is a lot going on in the world. I think you open your eyes to someone who might be different from you. And I think you leave the theatre a little bit kinder and a little more knowledgeable, a little more tolerant than you were before you walked in. We want to do the best of what we can do when we come together as people.

IT’S A GOOD LIFE IF YOU DON’T WEAKEN TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

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